An anti-NATO demonstration in southern Afghanistan’s Zabul province turned violent Friday, when three Afghan civilians and a police officer were shot dead.

Afghan police say they were forced to fire into the crowd after insurgents infiltrated the protest in the town of Qalat and shot and killed a police officer. Officials say three civilians were killed when the police returned fire. (more…)

MANILA — Eleven people, at least three of them children, were killed in an attack believed to have been carried out by the militant group Abu Sayyaf in retaliation for the recent arrests and deaths of several of its members, officials said Sunday. (more…)

KABUL — The NATO-led force in Afghanistan has launched an investigation into the deaths of four civilians it killed by firing on their vehicle in the southern city of Kandahar, the alliance force said.

NATO’s International Security Assistance Force said its troops opened fire Saturday “when the driver of a local vehicle failed to stop when approaching ISAF troops.”

“According to the initial report, ISAF troops tried repeatedly to signal the fast-approaching vehicle with passive measures, but fearing for their safety fired on the vehicle,” the ISAF statement said.

Afghan authorities had earlier said two women and a child were among the dead, while two or three other civilians were also wounded. (more…)

A salesman rescued a baby from a blaze ignited by a car bombing in a Shiite neighborhood Tuesday, reaching through the shattered window and grabbing the boy after the blast killed his mother and eight other people.

The rescue, which witnesses described to an Associated Press reporter at the scene, highlighted the often overlooked role of Iraqi civilians in the aftermath of such bombings. Although violence has tapered off greatly over the past year, deadly attacks still plague the capital.